May 24th 2017
Following the huge response to the drift stars and their cars at last year’s Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, more of these lively, smoky and smelly drifters will be returning to Goodwood from June 29th – July 2nd to thrill and delight the crowds once again, this time with a new twist.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the sell-out Festival our visiting drift legends will be judged by a combination of public voting and a speed trap on the first corner of Goodwood Hillclimb. From the start line cars will be expected to be travelling sideways by the time they reach the first initiation point, reaching maximum drifting speed through the speed trap and maintaining the drift until the finish line, no doubt with great plumes of tyre smoke.
Of the varied drifting machines to slide up famous Festival of Speed Hillclimb sideways to compete for the title of Goodwood Festival of Speed Drift Champion will be Vaughn Gittin Junior (JR), back by popular demand in his Ford Mustang RTR.
‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett will be making his fourth appearance at the Festival in his rotary-engined Mazda MX-5 Miata, codenamed RADBUL, burning rubber along with Dean Kearney, 2009 Prodrift European Series Champion in his Dodge Viper and James Deane, Drift Allstars European Champion in 2014, 2015 and 2016, driving his Nissan Silvia.
Saturday and weekend tickets to the Festival of Speed are now sold-out, with Sunday tickets limited and Thursday and Friday tickets selling fast. Hospitality packages are available throughout the weekend. To buy tickets or enquire about hospitality visit http://www.goodwood.com or call the Goodwood Ticket Office on 01243 755 055.

To celebrate 110 years since the opening of Brooklands, the birthplace of British motorsport, the Goodwood Festival of Speed , which takes place from June 29th to July 2nd, will play host to an incredible array of cars and motorcycles from the Surrey circuit’s history.

The brainchild of Hugh Locke King, Brooklands was the world’s first purpose-built race circuit. From its opening in 1907 (the first competitive event was staged on June 28th-29th 1907 – 110 years to the day before the opening of this year’s Festival of Speed) until the outbreak of World War II, it hosted some of the sport’s most memorable characters. Assembled with the support of the Brooklands Museum, the Festival class will celebrate the diverse machinery that made Brooklands great.

Because Brooklands’ banking allowed sustained high speeds, it was the scene of many early Land Speed Record attempts, represented at FoS by cars like the Blitzen Benz, Fiat S76 and ‘Babs’. At the opposite end of the size spectrum are the tiny Austin and MG specials, and three-wheeler Morgans, which were a mainstay of club events, while the first British Grands Prix (held at Brooklands in 1926-27) are represented by a quartet of fabulous Delage 15 S8s. Pride of place goes to the Napier-Railton Special, in which John Cobb set the ultimate Brooklands lap record, at 143.44mph, in 1934. Together, they will be a fitting tribute to the pioneering spirit of Brooklands, the bravery of its drivers, and the creativity of its engineers.

With the outbreak of war in 1939, racing at Brooklands ceased, and the subsequent war effort had a permanent and devastating impact on the circuit – not least in the form of a runway that cut through the Byfleet banking. With the legendary Surrey track permanently out of action, the organisers of the pre-war races eagerly sought an alternative. Spitfire pilot Tony Gaze had already suggested to the president of the Junior Car Club, the Duke of Richmond (himself a successful racer at Brooklands, having won the 500 Mile race for Austin in 1930, and the Double Twelve for MG in 1931), that the perimeter track of the Goodwood airfield would make an ideal racing circuit. And so it was that in 1948 the baton of Britain’s motorsport legacy was passed to Goodwood with the inaugural JCC race meeting. The BARC merged with the JCC the following year, moved to Goodwood, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Saturday and weekend tickets to the Festival of Speed are now sold-out, with Sunday tickets limited and Thursday and Friday tickets selling fast. Hospitality packages are available throughout the weekend. To buy tickets or enquire about hospitality visit www.goodwood.com or call the Goodwood Ticket Office on 01243 755 055.

2017 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS:JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ANNOUNCED AS HEADLINE ACT

AUSTIN, TX (MARCH 30, 2017) – the Organisers of the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) have announced that international superstar Justin Timberlake will perform on COTA’s SUPER STAGE on Saturday, Oct. 21,

Further, tickets for the 2017 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX, set for October 20-22, will be available for purchase as of tomorow, Friday, March 31st at 10 a.m. CT through www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com.

Timberlake, who has just won his tenth GRAMMY ® Award with his Oscar-nominated hit single “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!”, has been featured in TIME Magazine’s “Most Influential Men of the World” twice.

Last year’s F1 USGP broke COTA’s attendance records with over 269,000 people coming from all over the world to watch MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 Team driver, Lewis Hamilton, clinch his fifth USGP win—and fourth at Circuit of The Americas—as well as to enjoy turbo-charged live performances by Taylor Swift and Usher & The Roots on COTA’s SUPER STAGE following the racing action.

“We’re thrilled to have Justin Timberlake perform at this year’s United States Grand Prix. After five years, the F1 USGP weekend at COTA has evolved into an annual destination where residents and visitors alike can experience a combination of world-class music, entertainment and motorsports. The combination of the incredible entertainment off and on-track with the amazing backdrop of Austin—and everything it has to offer—provides fans with an exhilarating weekend that simply cannot be missed”. said Bobby Epstein, Chairman of COTA.

Three-day tickets will be available for purchase starting at $159 if purchased prior to July 4. Additionally, should it rain over two inches in the 24-hour period before the start of the F1 USGP race on Sunday, October 22, COTA will refund 105% of the value of the ticket for any fan who purchased a reserved seat on a 3-day weekend pass by July 4, 2017, and still allow them to attend the race. Hotel rooms can be booked now at www.circuitoftheamericas.com/bookaroom.

Puy Saint Vincent culminating at an altitude of 2700 metres and Pelvoux-Vallouise at 2300 metres, are two ski resorts offering some great winter sports.

The first location, Puy Saint Vincent boasts 75 kilometres of slopes ranging between 2700 and 1400 metres, which include treelined and open areas with a 360° degree view of the most beautiful summits of the Écrins.

25 kilometres of slopes – ranging from 2300 metres to 1200 metres awaits skiiers in Pelvoux-Vallouise, including a downhill run of over 1000 metres in a natural setting, that can be completed in one go.

The advantage of these two resorts is its vast offer of free skiing tracks . One can experience tracks in a natural, protected environment. The Pays des Écrins is a discreet spot for freeriding. The off-piste areas are accessible from the ski lifts, but at the skier’s own risk, for a 1500 metre drop in altitude.

Skiing instructor Fabien Rulfo says: “for freeskiing and freeriding, it’s the Col du Bal in Puy Saint Vincent. Accompanied by an instructor, this descent features a significant drop in altitude and exceptional terrain”. Beyond merely teaching skiing, Fabien seeks toshare his appreciation of a spot. Understanding the landscape helps to anticipate and provide a better ski experience. “The idea is to learn a fun and pleasing way to descend a mountain by understanding the terrain to get the most enjoyment out of it and being free to perform the simplest or most complicated figures”.

In his opinion, the advantages of the area are varied. “The Pays des Écrins’ resorts have a multitude of hidden, secret spots both on and off the slopes. Depending on weather conditions, one of them will always be accessible. The larch trees that are abundant up to 2000 metres make it possible to ski in bad weatherconditions and the strong sunshine makes for pleasant skiing throughout the winter season”.

The “Derby de Vallouise” on 25th March 2017: two runs, two domains.

A steep, festive descent is on the agenda! The younger version of the Derby de laMeije will be taking place in the Pays des Écrins for the first time. What makes it special? Participants will need to tackle the slopes of both resorts in the Pays desÉcrins including a 1550 m drop for Puy Saint Vincent and 1100 m drop for the Pelvoux-Vallouise resort. The “Derby de Vallouise” is a race that combines all types of winter sports, with participants aged 16 and over. All the following sports will be represented and organised by category and gender: skiing, telemark skiing, snowboarding, in fancy dress and other means (sledge, mountain bike, cross country skis, rubber rings, etc.)
There will also be a youth category (for under 18s). The goal is to start from the highest point of each resort and reach the lowest point as quickly as possible enjoying a fun atmosphere throughout the day. Registration: Association “MADIJIHU”

Natural ice climbing – The Pays des Écrins is one of the most spectacular ice climbing sites in Europewith over 300 waterfalls freezing to become ice falls. When winter sets in, the deep valleys are at their best. This is particularly the case for the Fournel and Fressinières valleys.

Winter mountaineering – Most professional mountain guides offer this activity that teaches the alpine progression and safety techniques used during high mountain ascents. The aim is to cover ice and snow routes, combining ice falls and snow ski mountaineering. For all these activities, mountain guides offer individual and group outings.

Special offers at the resorts – “Ski holiday experience, for couples or friends”. From €359/person/week based on two paying. From €320/person/week based on three paying. (7 nights + 6-day pass + 6 days’ hire (Excluding €20 booking fee and optional insurance).

The Pays des Écrins is an area steeped in history. The first mountaineering ascensions took place in the 19th century. There are signs of industrial historylinked to the silver mines and hydroelectricity. The presence of the Waldensians’in the Fressinières Valley from the 12th century highlight the area’s religious history and architectural history is illustrated with a large array of sundials and vernacular heritage typical of the alpine villages. The valleys, villages, pastures and high mountains bathe in sunshine and are located between the Durance river and the Barre des Écrins (4102 m).

10th February 2017: A breathtaking array of machines that dominated the international sportscar racing scene during the first half of the 1970s will descend on the Goodwood Motor Circuit for the 75th Members’ Meeting on March 18th-19th.
Exotic creations from Alfa Romeo, Chevron, Ferrari, Lola, Matra and Mirage will evoke memories of the factory battles that raged in the World Championship of Makes from 1972 when regulations mandated the use of three-litre engines.
These sensational sports-prototypes, essentially Grand Prix cars with all-enveloping, low-drag bodywork, will provide a visual and aural feast for spectators in a series of high-speed demonstrations during the fourth of the now-annual British Automobile Racing Club retrospectives.
Already confirmed are several of the flat-12 Ferrari 312PBs that were driven to numerous 1000km victories in 1972-’73 by aces Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx, Arturo Merzario, Sandro Munari, Ronnie Peterson, Brian Redman, Clay Regazzoni and Tim Schenken.
Joining the Scuderia’s screamers will be a gaggle of French-blue Matra MS670s, the wailing V12-powered machines that took a hat-trick of Le Mans 24 Hour wins and dominated the 1974 season, winning all bar one of the 10 races courtesy of Gallic heroes Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Gérard Larrousse and Henri Pescarolo.
Throw in the exquisite V8-engined Alfa Romeo T33s that occasionally gave Ferrari and Matra a fright during those halcyon days thanks to a quality roster of drivers including Andrea de Adamich, Vic Elford, Nanni Galli, Helmut Marko, Peter Revson and Rolf Stommelen, as well as the British-built, Gulf-liveried, Ford Cosworth DFV-motivated Mirages once pedalled by heroes Derek Bell, Howden Ganley, Mike Hailwood and Vern Schuppan, and plucky Chevron B26s and Lola T290s that picked up the period scraps, and it’ll make for an unmissable cocktail of noise and colour.
Goodwood Road and Racing Club Members can still buy tickets at http://www.goodwood.com and from the Goodwood Ticket Office on 01243 755 055. Non-Members can still attend as guests of GRRC Members or by joining our community of motorsport volunteers ahead of the event: https://www.goodwood.com/sports/motorsport/volunteering/